When Anna asked me to write this letter, I immediately started drafting it in my head. I knew what the subject would be, the spin I'd put on it, and that it would be short and sweet. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no idea what I wanted to say to our millions of subscribers. Millions! I've had a lot of changes in my life as of late — what do I want to share? What do I want people to know about ME? Well, I finally decided, one hour before the deadline.

I love being a mom. It's the best job anyone could ever have. This is coming from a woman who never wanted to get married, let alone bring a child into this cold, harsh world. What changed my mind? I fell in love with a man the minute I met him on my first and only blind date. Yes, love at first sight is real. Soulmates are real. My husband of seven years and I both knew it when we met. Many obstacles stood in our way — from friends and family saying we were crazy for getting engaged only five weeks after we met, to his new career choice of joining the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina, to my being a junior in college in Rhode Island.

While we saw each other only seven times during my last two years of college, we were committed to one another. Part of what helped the days, weeks, and months go by was our letter-writing — the kind of letter-writing Sean Shanny wrote about earlier this month. I wrote to my husband every day, and he wrote as often as training allowed. (I still have every letter we ever sent to each other!) Once he received phone privileges, my work-study paychecks went to phone bills and plane tickets! I moved down South with him after I graduated, and we married six months later. Fast-forward three years, when we gave birth to a one-of-a-kind son. I say "we" gave birth because I could not have done it without my husband. That is the truth.

My son had a difficult time coming into this world — so did I, trying to facilitate it. I wouldn't change it if I could, though. The bond between mother, father, and child is so intense. It's a feeling that cannot be described. Until you go through it yourself, you cannot imagine the kind of love you feel. So many people give advice while you're pregnant, whether you ask for it or not. They tell you how much your lives will change once the little one joins your family. You hear them, but it's impossible to comprehend until you're smack dab in the middle of it. Parenting is not a skill that you pick up by reading hundreds of books. It's something that you learn as your child grows.

My son is now four years old. My husband and I talk about him constantly when we're alone together. (If you're a parent, you know that this time is precious, and sometimes hard to come by.) We wonder what the heck we did when we got home from work before he was born! He is the center of our lives. To see normal, everyday things through his eyes sheds new light on life itself. (Now I get to toot my own horn!) He is starting to read, can add and subtract, is learning to ice skate (so he can play hockey like his college idols), loves to go to preschool, likes to play any sport you can think of, tells stories, is learning to play the piano, creates art projects for his loving family near and far ... the list goes on. No matter how old he is or how quickly he grows, I will cherish every moment of his life. He and my husband have taught me what true happiness and love really are.

— Amber